Wednesday, June 6, 2012

5 Easy Questions with Lindsay Harrel!

Every Wednesday, I ask a writer the same five easy questions. In an effort to support and promote fellow wordsmiths, I feature authors who write a variety of genres, from sweet inspirational to mainstream thrillers. The writers themselves may be aspiring, published, or best-selling--all have made an impact on my life.

Thank you for joining me in welcoming…Lindsay Harrel!!

Lindsay and I met through blogging friends and I’m so glad we did! She’s one of those people who is a little bit of everything—funny, kind, humble, talented—I can’t wait to meet her in person. (And I actually get to this fall at the ACFW National Conference!!) I’m excited to have her here today.

Let’s get to it!


1. Beverage of choice?

Ice water. In Phoenix, it's a must, and I drink it by the boatload. I recently got this hot pink insulated cup (yeah, baby!) and refill it like 10 times a day at work. And yes, that means I also have to make frequent trips past the front desk guy and to the restroom. *Embarrassing!*

2. Any pets?

Oh yeah, I love having pets...there's nothing quite like the companionship they offer. We have a golden retriever puppy (Chloe) who will be a year in July. We're planning to get another golden this fall...so excited (and so exhausted thinking about it)!

3. Dream vacation?

Well, my husband and I have always wanted to go to Europe. We've both been separately (him in high school and me in college), but we want to go together. We're hoping to go next year if we can swing it with time off of work, finances, etc. Our top spots to hit will be London, Paris, and Rome. I just love the history that's there...and all those beautiful churches! Awe-inspiring, for sure.

4. What are you listening to right now?

Nothing. I love music but I work best in silence. But it's a cozy silence right now. We just got back from a hike and the dog is lying on the tile panting, dinner's in the oven cooking, and I've got my feet up on the coffee table relaxing. So yep, a nice silence for sure.

5. What's for dinner?

Mini pizzas--I know, don't we sound like we're twelve? Ha. But they're soooo easy. I just take whole wheat sandwich thins and split them, put a little dollop of pizza sauce (you can make your own or buy a jar of it) on each piece, sprinkled with low-fat mozzarella cheese, and top with turkey pepperoni. Then I just bake them for 12-15 minutes. Voila! Easy, somewhat "healthy" pizza. At least, that's what I tell myself!
***
Lindsay, I drink tons of water too, so I feel your pain. But I recently read that drinking lots of water helps prevent migraine symptoms, not to mention makes us look younger. It's worth it. And you’re getting a puppy? Golden puppies are SO cute! And rambunctious…good luck with that! I haven’t been to Europe, but London and Rome are my two top cities to visit. I’d also love to drive around Britain’s countryside. Mm, mm, that would be nice.

Silence is always good. I’m enjoying some of that myself right now. Oh, and I never thought to use sandwich thins as pizza crust. We make English Muffin pizzas (yes, we’re twelve too!), and they’re always a hit! Thanks so much for being my guest!
***

Lindsay Harrel ~

Since the age of six, when she wrote the riveting tale “How to Eat Mud Pie,” Lindsay Harrel has passionately engaged the written word as a reader, writer, and editor. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and an M.A. in English. In her current day job as a curriculum editor for a local university, Lindsay helps others improve their work and hones her skills for her night job—writing inspirational women’s fiction with romantic elements. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy, Lindsay has been published on the Power to Change website, in the online CronkiteZine, and in The Arizona Republic. For more information about Lindsay, head to her blog, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

***

Due to our upcoming move, I'm suspending the 5 Easy Questions series until this fall. Instead, I will share my moving adventures on Wednesdays. Since we're remodeling our new house (and living in it for part of the process), I'm sure there will be much to share!

Does your summer schedule change? Or do you maintain the same schedule year-round?
We're on summer vacation here, so I spend my mornings writing and sipping coffee. It's a nice break from the hectic school year!
Enjoy your Wednesday!

28 comments:

  1. Why hello there to the two of you!

    We ate mini pizzas last night, too. Easiest when my husband is traveling.

    And silence is hard for me. I usually try to avoid it, but appreciate it when I can get myself to relax.
    ~ Wendy

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    1. Hello, back!

      I'm so glad I'm not the only one who likes mini pizzas. :P

      I never thought about silence being hard, but I can definitely see that being the case.

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  2. Linds!!! I make mini pizza too, but I use tortillas. Put them in the skillet with your toppings and it tastes just like thin crust pizza!

    Great answers! :) My summer schedule feels is supposed to be more relaxed but this weeks it hasn't at all. Can't wait to hear about your moving adventures, Jill!

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    1. Ooo, I never thought of doing that! Yum, yum. We want to try pizza on the grill, but haven't yet.

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  3. Another Golden lover:) Ours will be 5 and is the best dog we've ever had. He's also 90 pounds (bred for show, but we don't show him) and still wants to be a lap dog.

    I love making pizza. I've got a killer recipe for sausage and green onion that's fattening but oh-so-good.

    Jessica ... tortillas! Brilliant. You could really cut down on carbs that way.

    Great answers, Lindsey!

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    1. Hi, Stacy! Yes, it's quite amusing when Chloe tries to sit in my lap. Every night before bed, I sit on the floor and she does it. It worked fine when she was little but kind of hurts now! Ha.

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  4. Jill, thanks so much for having me today! You've been such a sweet friend reaching out to me and encouraging me in this writing journey. I can't wait to meet you too!

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    1. No, thank YOU, Lindsay!! I really appreciate you being my guest today! :)

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  5. Hi Jill! Hi Lindsay! Great to get to know you better, Lindsay!

    The history just oozes from the pavement in Europe. Paris was just filled with the ghosts of the past.

    I love mini pizzas! We would use sour dough English muffins. We used to make them all of the time when the kids were small. We still make them every once in a while when everyone is home.

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    1. I know what you mean about the history, Loree. It's just such a different feel than here in the U.S. I think because you see stuff in Europe that's dated before the U.S. even came to be!

      And I've used English muffins too. I've recently tried the whole wheat ones and they're pretty good!

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  6. Hi, Lindsay. What time should I come over for dinner? ;)
    Our schedule stays pretty much the same in the summer. My son isn't school age yet, and my husband and I both have year round jobs.

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  7. Julie, you're welcome anytime! :)

    And I sooo miss summer breaks like I had in school while growing up, and even in college. Man, why don't they warn you how it'll be when you get a full-time job?

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  8. I love the sandwich thin idea! I've never thought of that. Wow, I wonder what it would be like to write with peace and quiet ;) LOL. Fun interview!

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    1. I'm sure I'll sympathize once I have kids! :P

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    2. Ha, ha! Peace and quiet--so hard to come by!

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  9. I love Goldens!!! So glad you both are thinking of getting another one.

    Don't worry, you'll be in Europe one day walking along a Rue in Paris together. :)

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    1. Oh, the deposit is down, so we are getting one! (Well, anything could happen, I guess...but that's the plan!)

      And yeah, I think Paris will be a lot more romantic with Mike with me.

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  10. Yay, Lindsay's here! How fun!

    I want to go to Europe again too. After studying abroad, I went back three years in a row. But now I haven't been for a few years...and it's killing me!

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    1. Three years in a row? I'm jealous!! I can't wait to go back, this time with Mike.

      I'm telling you...we need to do a trip together there someday. ;) We can call it research...even though neither of us writes historical! Ha.

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    2. Ha ha! We ate pizzas... ordered them. Not healthy. But at least thin crust. Does that count?

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    3. Sure, we'll count it, Kristin!

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  11. Golden retrievers are SO sweet! And I hope Lindsay gets the chance to visit Europe. I love it here!

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    1. Aren't they? The only problem is they're still puppies until they're like 3...

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  12. Silence? Silence?? What is this thing you call silence?? Ha!

    Loving all these great comments. I think we should all head to Europe and visit Talli. Who else is in??

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  13. I'm in, Jill! I love Europe. Wouldn't that be the funnest trip ever? A bunch of authors galavanting around the Old World! I've been to England and France on two seperate trips and I'm hoping to go back to France next summer with the Sister City Exchange program I've been a member of for eight years.

    Lindsay! I was so excited to see your beautiful face here today. Fun questions and great answers. We have VBS all this week, so I popped some pizzas in the oven for lunch when we got home today. :)

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    1. Aw, you're too sweet, Gabrielle! And I totally miss VBS. That was always so fun as a kid.

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  14. Fun getting to know you, Lindsay! (Thanks Jill!) And I work best in silence too.

    An author trip to Europe? Now that would be fun. :)

    Looking forward to meeting you all in September!

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  15. I didn't read any blogs on Wednesday, which means I missed this one! So fun to see Lindsay here!

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I love to hear from you!